Telegram-herald., 1887-12-04
WOMEN IN THE CITY
SADLY orr wiTHooT HUSBANDS
Marital fr0ablss sroo<ht - Lsgat Ia ths
Peaies Courts sf >e~ f0rk CIV Choice
AeSwssa FAnpsFisLn .ns
Starvation

ae<Ns<a AnpsftsLn 4ns
ss4rs4tl0a-
Men rfrva of q err wlFes oec1py more tnsn
a fsir shsre 4 Il tirne a1d zrtsztton II tbe .
pollce nsagzsrates. 4ae As gisss very iit-
tie re.3ress u women deserted b their hus-
bans,s. Before a n1Esss--ale interiors at i
al Ia behzif ~ TIE ~onza2 sac is obliged 70 /
apply - the eonlsnlssic lzers Of ek2xitiss aud 4
correction Ter q reQGlSition 70 the magistrate 1
Ia the district la ~ lch SIZE resides This /
regQisitioa empowers. OF rather orders. the
E11ea rate % is4ue s 7szTrzn- for tie arrest 4
OF t.ae delinquent husband Beforcobtaining |
this 0rsier oa tae za2 gis.gsts tas applicant Is I
/ obliged % sssesr taar sGe Is Rlc1o1t means of I
support aud that she VIII be Obliged 70 ean I!
oa TIE citF % support her II Der husband =
neT eorapeilel - pro Las tCr Ter. II siae asks
I tor s5.y Of the lazuries of life she wiz not
/ set theai because. zavisg secured the arrest
/ ol heT hushs-d, ke merely occupies tie posi-
/ ton q ss-ts..es ID i1s police coert She has
sworn thai ae - hsse TO b. Supported boy
the city il tie c.ty does not compei her hus-
band . provide FOR her. therefore the city
/ taSes charge Of the unfortCnare wonlans
anaiss. and taxes tie husband into custody
merely l. protect Itself from having another
paupar 70 support
FIVE DOLLARS PER WEEK
This being tbs ease. tbe wofn1n is rarely
allowed more than S per week ~ the mag
istrats for the support os herself and perhaps
two or thres children. II she has 10 chill
dren ard can 90 WORK, or has children who
are able to work, and no turn any OF their
earnings over o. her, these facts ara taken
into consideration and the amount the hus-
hand Is ordered 70 pay her is coTTespondingly
leSsenea-
The husband may have made the wife's
life so miserable that she cannot live with
him He boldly announces, however: II
never refused 10 i've with her. She lett me-
| am willing % take her home with ne now
and support her.
''How IS thisi Is he telling the truthr
the magistrate inquiries.
II could not 1--we with him He abused
me, called me all manner of vile names and
said he wished | would leave him. the
woman answers
| Although the magistrate may believe
every word the woman says he is powerless
TO do anything but tell her to 20 home
with the husband, and, if he abuses her, to
come back and have him arrested for disor-
derly conduct or assault II the woman re-
fuses the justice has no alternative but to
4
become paUper, supported by the city.
Many of these applicants for support have
not been actually abandoned, but have been
doing more than their share toward main
tanning the household, while the DELINQUENT
husband has been turning mere pittance of
his earnings into the house, drinking I'D tho
remainder and abusing his family every time
he got drunk.
IF you would only give him talking to
and make him promise TO do better, judge"
the wife says. Don't lock him up. The
little money get from him is better than
none, and II he Is locked up he can't earn
anything
IEcTuRING THE DELINQUENT.
The magistrate thus appealed to delivers
lecture to the delinquent and dismisses him
with the threat of prompt Imprisonment if
he does not treat his family better The JUS
tice, however, rarely believes that this VIII
have any lasting effect, and it very rarely
does. In most instances the man is more
firmly convinced than ever that his family
=, are unable to get along without him, and he
feels sure that his abused wife will not dare
70 appeal again to the court through fear
that her little income viii be still further de-
creased by his Imprisonment. Accordingly,
he usually acts worse than before II he
> continues TO give some little support to his
family his wife bears his abuse as best she
can
Sometimes such men become so reckless
: that they cease 10 be of the slightest benefit
! TO their families and are locked up The law
is next TO powerless with men whose income
will allow them 10 live apart from their wives
: II such men choose to contribute to the sup
port Of their wives they may abandon them
!, at viii and police magistrate can do moth
. 7. ing to aid the deserted wife. Many wives
are unable to swear truthfully that they are
> liable 10 become paupers. Many others viii
not submit to the humiliation of swearing SO
\ even If il is true.
= = Many refined, well educated women submit
!. to all the humiliating preliminaries to secur-
ing the abandonment warrants. because OF
? their just indignation at being abandoned for
women whose physical charms are superior
TO their own. Such applicants are surprised
70 learn that the law Is not framed to punish
such offenses, but merely 10 prevent an In
crease of the number Of paupers. The do
. liDquent Is merely called upon to give bonds
TO give his wife a certain amount each week
Rare indeed do such men face their injured
wives, even once a week. Some place has 70
be provided for the recent and delivery oi
: the weekly stipend. This has led the sergeant.
: Of the various po.ce courts TO assume duty
= which has % Lite grown 70 such proportions
that II has become 3ecidedly onerous Ser
geants Of the police courts have more thar
fifty men on their lists who are thus handing
in tbcir weekly instaliuents. These are passes
: over To the deserted wives. and receipts taken
In many ot the buster courts this list viii in
clude from loo to i5o names.-New Yori
Evening sun
Harpooning Boards at the Docks.
= Among the flotsam Of our docks danlag get